Meeting in a bar is the classic way to begin an adventure. Just don't let it be the entire adventure.

In the real world of the Trenchcoats & Turncoats universe, of course, Casablanca doesn't exist.
That's the premise of this entire comic, after all. But most of the other things we know and love (such as Nazi-foiling cynics) do,
albeit modified by the lack of Casablanca:

Humphrey Bogart is known (barely) for doing voiceovers for poorly selling computer games, but gains widespread fame
after his appearance in the first Futurama movie.

Ingrid Bergman is known primarily for her role as "Girl Waiting in Line" in Landskamp.

Nerdy guys make YouTube videos of themselves jumping off buildings instead of lurking moodily in bars.

Without the success of Casablanca to spark interest in war time drama, Colditz was never revived
with a movie and a new series, and remains an obscure short-running TV show.

Peter Gunn was never made into a film. Detective drama fans never had it so good.

The major film noir background that pervades all of Western culture is The Postman Always Rings Twice, despite it never being much good.
The original film was remade recently into a new, updated television series with a bigger budget, high-tech computerised special effects, and edgy writing.
And it sucked.

Throughout the 1940s, all the greatest Hollywood blockbusters were big-budget silent slapsticks.

Vision-Impaired Transcript

Rick: I'm never going to give you up.Ilsa: Oh Rick. Some day you'll understand.Ilsa: I must go with Wictor to deliver the Lost Orders to Vashington. It's the only way to honour Doctor Fanastacoria's noble sacrifice.Rick: I'm no good at being noble.Victor: Give us Orders now, da?
{Rick gives Victor the lost Orders}Victor: Spasiba! Do svidanya!Ilsa: Look Rick, it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of borscht in this crazy vorld.Rick: Huh?Ilsa: I have to go.
{Ilsa and Victor leave for the plane}Captain Renault: You weren't fooled by that charade, were you?Rick: What charade?Captain Renault: "Victor" and "Ilsa"... American? Uh-huh.Captain Renault: Obviously Russian spies. Aren't you supposed to be a detective?Rick: Whoops.Captain Renault: Oh who cares? Let's go get a drink.GM: Noooo! I had this vast globe-spanning adventure planned, and you guys hardly even left the bar you met in!Rick: Pete, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.